Abstract

Florence Nightingale David (1909-1993) was a probabilist, statistician, historian, and leader. She preferred to be called David, and she published as F. N. David. She became an Institute of Mathematical Statistics Fellow in recognition of ‘his’ contributions to mathematical statistics. Her guiding principle as a woman in a man’s world was to take a deep breath and get on with her work. The inaugural Florence Nightingale David Lecture was given in 2019. It was the first lecture named after a woman given at the Joint Statistics Meetings after its founding in 1840. David’s professional journey through academe was challenging, but she persevered and became an important role model for women in statistics.